On Forbes: Top-Earning Dead Celebrities

The money might be drying up in Hollywood, but there’s still plenty of cash being made in the graveyard. The 13 iconic figures on Forbes’ list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities grossed a collective $886 million in the past 12 months.

Topping the list for the first time is Yves Saint Laurent, who earned $350 million care of a much-heralded estate sale. In February, auction house Christie’s sold many of the French fashion icon’s possessions, including expensive art, antiques and furniture, garnering $443 million in proceeds over the course of three days.

After commissions, the cash was split between the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and a soon-to-be-created philanthropic group aimed at scientific research and the fight against AIDS.

YSL died of brain cancer in June 2008.

Here’s the top five:

1. Yves Saint Laurent ($350 million)
2. Rodgers & Hammerstein ($235 million)
3. Michael Jackson ($90 million)
4. Elvis Presley ($55 million)
5. J.R.R. Tolkien ($50 million)